242 SHOOTING THE DUCK AND THE GOOSE 



have in any way emulated the feats of Captain Gould 

 in East Holland, though on three occasions we bagged 

 from eighty to ninety widgeon at a shot, and once, 

 I believe, we fairly stopped quite a hundred ; but, 

 owing to the approach of night, we were prevented 

 from gathering all the cripples. The rotten ooze 

 banks greatly impeded the operation of cripple- 

 collecting, as it was impossible to walk over the mud 

 without mud-pattens. The shore seekers and fisher- 

 men frequently had their picking ; but so long as they 

 did not interfere with our sport or disturb the fowl 

 out of sheer spite I did not begrudge them their 

 share of the spoil. On the numerous islands, as well 

 as on the mainland of the gulf, there was a con- 

 siderable population of fisher-folk and native gunners, 

 all of whom had to be carefully handled, propitiated, 

 and won over by friendly understanding in regard 

 to the chasse. Eel-pickers and winkle-gatherers were 

 another source of annoyance at low water, when they 

 were to be seen at work all over the best flats, whilst 

 fishing-boats, with parties of French chasseurs, firing 

 bullets and mould shot at fowl regardless of range, 

 were constantly crossing our path at critical moments. 

 Under these circumstances it may readily be imagined 

 that we often had to cut in and take a hasty shot 



